Transcript Highlights:

• I want to say that we opened our doors day one.
• This opened in 1940 and then was expanded most recently in 2005.
• When we did that, that's when we opened Alabama Voices, our big center exhibition.
• He was assassinated for it in 1954 after he won the primary for coming general.
• You... ...the primary for coming general.

Bills: SB67 , HB295 , SB104

Committee: House Military and Veterans Affairs

Keywords: veterans affairs, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, State Board of Veterans Affairs, commissioner, Governor appointment, oversight board, veterans services, veterans benefits, state veterans homes, veterans cemeteries, Alabama Veterans Home Trust Fund, veteran service officers, district managers, assistant commissioners, county veterans offices, military veterans, disabled veterans, elderly veterans, veterans organizations, American Legion

Transcript Highlights:

• Open and lead in these areas that we can.
• But I would say that's the primary challenge for that network. Thank you.
• And our doors stay open until 5 o'clock. So if you get in there at 4... ...task.
• And our doors stay open until 5 o'clock.
• And our doors stay open until 5 o'clock.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Roll call is open for your vote. Have all members voted?
• Roll call is open for your vote. Have all members voted?
• Roll call is open for your vote.
• Roll call is open to record. Have all members voted?
• To Primary and Secondary Education, House Joint Resolution 80.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're actually going to open the public hearing on his bill for the purposes of taking his testimony
• So with that, we're going to open the public hearing on House Bill 2221, Restoring and Sustaining Healthy
• “We’re going to move up the agenda and open up the public hearing on House Joint Memorial 4009.
• They serve as a primary prey base... Deer and elk are not just game animals.
• I'm a resident of Vashon Island, a boat owner, and an open-water swimmer.

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on House Bill 2619, which would create a joint legislative task force to review and recommend ways to reduce regulatory burdens in agriculture, and on House Joint Memorial 4009, which asks Congress to ensure federal wildfire response agencies remain capable of protecting communities, natural resources, and firefighter safety. On HB 2619, the prime sponsor and supporters from the Washington State Department of Agriculture, cattle, wheat, potato, onion, and dairy interests said the bill responds to farm stress and suicide concerns by examining regulatory overload; WSDA supported the concept but noted a fiscal note, and members discussed whether the task force scope and cost could be reduced before policy cutoff. On HJM 4009, staff and the sponsor described the memorial as a request for stronger federal wildfire capacity and coordination, with testimony from tribes, counties, forest landowners, conservation groups, and public employees emphasizing wildfire risk, smoke impacts, and the importance of federal-state cooperation; the committee also repeatedly tied the memorial to support for state wildfire funding under 1168 and heard broad support for restoring that funding. The committee then took up House Bill 2221, which would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to designate at-risk ungulate populations and begin predator mitigation when certain population declines occur, while also requiring annual reporting and white-tailed deer surveys. The sponsor argued the bill addresses rapidly declining deer and elk herds, predator pressure, food security, and rural economies in northeast Washington. Supporters included some local residents, ranchers, sheriffs, county officials, and the Colville Tribes, who said predators, livestock conflicts, and reduced hunting opportunity are harming communities and that the state should act more aggressively. Opponents included WDFW staff, Washington Wildlife First, the Sierra Club, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and other conservation voices, who said the bill is not scientifically supported, would be costly, and wrongly blames predators rather than habitat, forage, weather, disease, and vehicle collisions; several said predator control would have limited value and could undermine wolf recovery. Some agricultural and sportsmen groups supported the bill in principle but asked for amendments, especially to remove or revise the in-state wolf translocation provision. No final votes or executive action were taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• presenters can use the entire 20 minutes for just their bill presentation, or if you'd like to leave it open
• One of the two primary bills in the package, House Bill 28, was to replace the emergency school tax and
• The other primary bill took the tax of severing natural resources on the occupation of severing natural
• If the principle is thus breached, however, the door is open for additional protest, each with more or
• I now open it up to questions or comments from the committee.

Summary: The committee’s final day focused first on a historical overview of New Mexico tax packages by Pam Stokes of Legislative Council Services. She described how tax packages have alternated over the decades between tax relief, revenue raising, and tax reform, with examples ranging from the creation of the gross receipts tax in 1966 to major packages in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1994, 2005, 2019, 2022, 2024, and the vetoed 2025 package. Members discussed how tax policy often tracks revenue conditions, how packages can combine increases and decreases, and how local government gross receipts taxes and hold-harmless distributions have affected communities differently. Several members reflected on past packages, especially the 2004 food tax repeal and the 2013 film tax and manufacturing changes, and noted that tax policy can have major economic and political effects even when it is not “sexy” legislation. The committee then heard a proposal to expand the health care practitioner gross receipts tax deduction to include co-insurance, and to extend the sunset date. Sponsor Senator Figueroa said the bill was intended to help recruit and retain medical providers and build on prior deductions for co-pays and deductibles. Testimony explained that co-insurance is the patient’s share after the deductible, that providers currently absorb the gross receipts tax on those payments, and that the proposal would cost about $30 million to the state plus about $20 million to municipalities and counties, with the exact fiscal impact likely to be updated. Members raised concerns about the effect on local governments, whether insurers could be required to reimburse providers, whether the bill would actually attract doctors, and whether better evaluation measures and sunsets should be added. The sponsor said the bill was part of a broader set of efforts to address provider shortages and that the discussion would continue. Representative McQueen then presented a bill to update the Land Conservation Incentives Act. He and conservation partners said the program has protected more than 500,000 acres but has not kept pace with rising land values, especially for irrigated agricultural land in the Middle Rio Grande. The proposal would increase the percentage of conservation value eligible for the credit, raise the per-transaction cap from $250,000 to $2 million, and make the credit refundable rather than only transferable. Testimony emphasized that the program is voluntary, keeps land in private ownership and production, and helps land-rich, cash-poor landowners preserve farmland and water rights. Members asked about average credit amounts, how easements work, whether landowners could effectively buy land and then use the credit, and whether there should be inflation indexing or a statewide cap. The discussion also touched on water rights, fencing, and the role of conservation easements in protecting agricultural land and compact water deliveries. Finally, Senator Sharer previewed his 2% tax proposal with a historical presentation on New Mexico tax law, using props to illustrate the evolution from early territorial tax codes to the modern tax system. He argued that the state’s current tax structure is overly complex and that recent federal changes have disrupted the personal income tax base. The committee did not take any votes on the day’s presentations; the meeting was primarily informational, with members offering feedback and raising policy concerns for future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• the prime sponsor, Senator Rardy, we going to open the hearing.
• OBs aren't sure; primary care, we have wonderful OBs and primary care, and they're trying their best,
• </c><00:26:42.960><c> go-to</c> obstetrician who's their primary go-to obstetrician who's their primary
• </c> as Riverwoods the first facility opened as Riverwoods the first facility opened in in in 1994<01
• A primary concern is affording and managing potential care and living arrangements.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The hearing room is open for attendance.
• Any primary witnesses in opposition? Any additional folks in opposition? Okay.
• Any witnesses in opposition, primary or otherwise? Okay, we'll bring it back to committee.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will have a five- to ten-minute opening statement from the nominee.
• Thank you very much for your opening statement.
• Health policy is not my primary specialty, so...
• Thank you very much for that opening statement.
• But it's a primary focus because we do need to be consistent.

Committee: Senate Director Nominations

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This does not authorize a general or an open convention.
• Unlike the convention of states resolution that wants to have a convention, the primary goal of this
• The primary goal of this call is not to call a convention, but to force congressional action.
• And believe it or not, we did open, and we were offering IRAs at 16% just to be attractive.
• Just briefly on this, there's kind of two primary objections, right?

Committee: House State Affairs

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from January 29 and 30. It then took up HCR 25, a resolution calling for an Article V convention effort focused on a balanced budget amendment. The sponsor and supporters argued that the federal debt and annual deficits are unsustainable, that the resolution is intended to pressure Congress rather than actually trigger a runaway convention, and that any amendment would still require ratification by 38 states. Supporters also said a balanced budget amendment would force fiscal discipline without immediate tax hikes or drastic cuts, and several public witnesses, including former officials, a banker, a student, and party leaders, testified in favor on generational and economic grounds. Opponents and skeptical members raised concerns that the resolution explicitly calls for a constitutional convention, that there is no reliable way to limit the scope or delegate selection, and that a convention could create unintended constitutional changes. Some questioned whether the strategy was honest with constituents, whether Congress should instead be changed through elections, and whether states like Idaho should continue accepting federal funds while advocating fiscal restraint. The Idaho Republican Party chair testified against the measure, saying the risk of an uncontrolled convention outweighed any benefit. After debate, Representative Boyle moved a substitute motion to hold HCR 25 in committee, but that motion failed 9-4. The committee then voted on the original motion to send HCR 25 to the floor with a due pass recommendation, and that motion passed 9-4. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• CAREER SOURCE FLORIDA PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO SERVE TWO PRIMARY CUSTOMERS.
• WHILE OUR DOORS ARE OPEN ALL FLORIDIANS WHO NEED A JOB OR DEVELOP A CAREER PATH TOWARD ECONOMIC SELF
• OUR DOORS ARE OPEN TO ALL FLORIDIANS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE FINDING JOBS AND DEVELOPING A CAREER PATH FOR
• THE CHIEF LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO APPOINT THE LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
• IT'S CLEAR UNDER WIOA THAT THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY CUSTOMERS IN THE WORKFORCE SYSTEM, ONE OF WHICH IS THAT

Transcript Highlights:

• And I would stand open for questions. Thank you, Representative Church. Are there questions?
• And when we've got, like, you know, for instance, a primary where there's a pool of Republicans on the
• And this one has been changed to be primary or secondary educational institutions. ...changed to be primary
• But then we're going to open up schools to having to defend, and school districts having to defend, a

Committee: House State Affairs

Summary: The House State Affairs Committee heard and introduced several RSs and one bill, with most of the discussion focused on election administration, agency structure, business privacy, and parental notification around gender-related issues. RS 332-31 would require in-person canvassers to be qualified electors and wear name badges, with exceptions for volunteers, campaign workers, and phone banking. RS 333-75 would lower the threshold for ballot name rotation from political entities with more than 100,000 voters to those with more than 25,000 voters. RS 334-29 would merge the Office of Species Conservation and the energy and minerals coordinating agency, and members asked for more information later about preserving each agency’s mission. RS 334-38 would allow LLC filers to use an Idaho commercial registered agent address instead of a home address, while still requiring the residential address and consent from the registered agent. All four RSs were moved to introduction and approved by voice vote. The committee then considered RS 3349, a revised version of a bill restricting what the sponsor described as social transitioning of minors without parental knowledge. The sponsor said the changes narrowed the civil cause of action and shifted any recovered funds to the state general fund, but members raised concerns about the breadth of terms like “appearance,” “dress,” and “social transition,” possible conflicts with confidentiality duties for educators and health providers, and the risk of litigation. Despite those concerns, the motion to introduce the RS passed, with Representatives Church and Haas recorded as voting no. House Bill 548, a Fourth Amendment bill, was then debated and sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation. The bill would require reasonable suspicion before law enforcement can stop and board a boat on the water, while still allowing safety and related inspections at boat launches. Supporters said it protects constitutional rights without preventing inspections, and the motion passed by voice vote. Finally, RS 33-408 was returned to sponsor at the sponsor’s request, and the committee ended by thanking its page and adjourning for the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just would like to share with you my motivation for opening a private practice, teaching future psychiatric
• We found that 59.1% of a random sample of autonomous nurse practitioners or not practicing primary care
• type practices or psychiatry, which the Board of Nursing has specifically said is not considered primary
• I also want to address when I opened the first autonomous primary care practice in 2020, another physician

Transcript Highlights:

• But that's the primary summary of the measure.
• But that's the primary summary of the measure.
• And a number of others, but those are the primary entities.
• And a number of others, but those are the primary entities.
• </c><01:22:34.520><c> caregivers</c> prohibition against primary caregivers prohibition against primary

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard Senate Bill 1322, SD2, HD1, a comprehensive measure revising Hawaii’s mental health code. The bill would clarify emergency transportation, examination, and hospitalization procedures for people who may be mentally ill or suffering from substance abuse and deemed imminently dangerous, expand notice requirements, allow certain information-sharing for assisted community treatment petitions, and add liability protections for emergency responders and providers. The Department of the Attorney General supported the bill as a collaborative update to the law, while the Department of Health asked for a copy of provider-generated emergency transport documentation within five days for data and planning purposes. Testimony was sharply divided. Queen’s Health System, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, HHSC, and the Institute for Human Services supported the measure or parts of it but requested amendments, including clarifying whether a second psychiatric exam is required, restoring a 72-hour rather than 48-hour stabilization window, and adjusting where patients are taken when an MEO cannot be reached. The ACLU of Hawaiʻi strongly opposed the bill, arguing it weakens due process and civil liberties, especially around involuntary commitment, assisted community treatment, emergency transport by police, and reduced procedural safeguards; it urged the committee to hold the bill and consider an interim working group. Louie E.K. of the Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center also opposed the bill, focusing on immunity from negligence, the use of police for transport, and the reduction of a three-provider review to one in state-hospital treatment orders. Other testimony included support from an individual who said the bill could improve mental health care delivery amid provider shortages, and a comment from Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center warning that the substance use portion of the bill lacks evidence of effectiveness and could be misused. In response to committee questions, the Attorney General’s office said the measure was developed with input from multiple stakeholders, including state agencies, hospitals, the ACLU, HHSC, and IHS, and that it aims to make assisted community treatment more accessible and effective by streamlining the legal process and improving consequences for noncompliance. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The hearing room is open for attendance. All are encouraged to watch on the live stream.
• We're open to others. We don't want to dilute the effect of the bill.
• We're open to others. We don't want to dilute the effect of the bill.
• Any witnesses in opposition, primary, or otherwise? You'll each have two minutes.
• Any witnesses in opposition, primary or otherwise? Okay, we'll bring it back to committee.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on August 5, 2026, and first approved a large consent calendar of bills, then heard and voted on a long series of measures covering health care, housing, energy, labor, public safety, insurance, and immigration-related issues. Several bills were moved on roll call with no or limited opposition, including SB 999 on delaying the Health Minimum Essential Coverage report deadline, SB 931 on Diablo Canyon’s mitigation fund, SB 952 on State Water Project clean energy procurement, SB 1288 on nonprobate asset beneficiary notification, SB 1371 on solid waste labor-dispute contract clauses, SB 1014 on housing development fee estimates, SB 1283 on EV charging station permitting, SB 1209 and SB 1244 on insurance enforcement and broker compensation disclosure, SB 1359 on gas utility infrastructure oversight, SB 677 and SB 908 on housing streamlining, SB 1323 on medical facility procedures for people in immigration custody, SB 938 on peace officer training waivers for former federal immigration officers, SB 1272 on code-violation enforcement timelines for new homeowners, SB 1117 on ADU impact fees, SB 1196 on utility hookups for small energy projects, SB 1299 on sprinkler fitter certification, and AB 2597 appropriating funds for state legal settlements. The committee also approved its suspense calendar and later lifted SB 1359 from call with an added aye vote. Testimony generally followed the bills’ themes. Supporters argued that the measures would improve transparency, reduce costs, streamline housing and energy projects, protect consumers, and strengthen public safety or worker protections. Opponents or “opposed unless amended” witnesses raised concerns about implementation burdens, disclosure mandates, labor and compliance issues, local government costs, and the scope of some proposals. Notable points of contention included SB 869, where restaurant groups objected to the on-menu sugar warning approach and urged more flexible disclosure methods, and SB 1244, where insurance industry representatives argued the bill would impose unworkable disclosure obligations on brokers and agents. SB 1272 drew opposition from code enforcement and county groups who warned it could delay health-and-safety enforcement, while SB 1117 drew opposition from special districts, counties, and fire-related groups concerned about reduced fee revenue for infrastructure. The committee also heard public comment on several bills not presented that day, including opposition to wildfire mitigation/CEQA-related legislation, staffing regulation fees, and education and demographic-data bills. Overall, the hearing was dominated by fiscal and policy debates over housing affordability, energy infrastructure, consumer transparency, and the balance between regulatory streamlining and local or industry compliance costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• The hearing room is open for attendance. All are encouraged to watch on the livestream.
• We're open to others. We don't want to dilute the effect of the bill.
• We're open to others. We don't want to dilute the effect of the bill.
• Any witnesses in opposition, primary or otherwise? You'll each have two minutes.
• Any witnesses in opposition, primary or otherwise? Okay, we'll bring it back to committee.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The primary goal of a plan is to establish strategies that align hatchery production with conservation
• Seeing no further questions, Madam Vice Chair, we'll open up the public hearing.
• So with that, Madam Vice Chair, we'll open up the public hearing. Thank you, Chair.
• Chair, we'll open up the public hearing. Thank you, Chair.
• Seeing no questions, Madam Vice Chair, we'll open up the public hearing. Thank you, Chair.

Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several bills and a joint memorial, with testimony largely focused on steelhead recovery, agricultural viability, wildfire funding, and shellfish fees. On SB 6241, which would create a wild broodstock conservation program for steelhead, staff described a statewide program with a fiscal note of about $14.6 million in FY 2027, while sponsor Sen. Braun argued the concept could boost wild populations and fishing opportunity at lower cost than the fiscal note suggests. Proponents, including anglers and conservation groups, said broodstock programs could improve fisheries, preserve genetics, and support local economies; opponents, including Trout Unlimited, argued the bill was too broad, not sufficiently science-driven, and should be left to agency and co-manager discretion. The public hearing closed with a strong pro/con sign-in count in favor of the bill. The committee then heard SB 6104, a broad agriculture-protection bill that would require agricultural impact statements for certain agency actions, annexations, and zoning changes, and would direct mitigation measures when actions harm agricultural or natural-resource-based commercial activities. Sponsor Sen. Muzzall said Washington agriculture is under severe pressure and losing farms, while supporters from farm groups said the bill would force agencies to consider ag viability and compensate for impacts. Opponents, including a small farmer and environmental advocates, said the bill was too procedural, could burden modernization or conservation efforts, and might create uncertainty around existing conservation funding accounts. The hearing ended with more testimony in opposition than support. The committee also heard SJM 8015, urging the federal government to ensure wildfire-response consolidation does not reduce capacity or firefighter safety. Sponsor Sen. Short and many testifiers, including private forest owners, tribes, students, conservation groups, and local officials, emphasized the importance of maintaining and fully funding Washington’s wildfire response and forest-restoration investments, especially the 1168 account. Testimony highlighted fuel breaks, early detection, community protection, and the economic costs of wildfire. The memorial drew overwhelmingly pro testimony. Finally, the committee suspended the five-day notice rule to hear SB 6318 on commercial shellfish fees; staff explained it would cap Department of Health fee increases after a recent fee review, and shellfish growers strongly supported the bill as necessary to keep small farms viable. The committee also took a work session on beaver relocation and habitat restoration, where presenters described beavers as a water-retention and wildfire-resilience tool and discussed coexistence, relocation, and possible future management changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm opening the public hearing on House Bill 610, and I call Representative Barry Rosb?
• </c><03:34:55.199><c> the</c> okay um thank you I will open the okay um thank you I will open the hearing
• Why, in your opinion, are there five open seats on the commission?
• But we have had five openings.
• But we have had five openings.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 610, which would fold the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy rather than fully eliminate consumer advocacy functions. The prime sponsor argued the current office is small, funded by a special assessment on ratepayers, and duplicative of DOE work. He said moving the function to DOE would streamline energy policy review, reduce bureaucracy, and better focus the larger agency on lowering residential energy costs. He also disputed claims that the Consumer Advocate is independent, saying the office is appointed through a political process similar to DOE leadership. Committee members and the sponsor discussed whether the bill would actually relocate existing positions or replace them, and whether the Department of Energy would absorb the cost of the transferred staff. The sponsor said the fiscal note shows roughly a million-dollar reduction in both revenue assessment and spending, and that the bill would effectively reduce the office from five positions to three. He also defended his cost estimates for energy-code-related housing impacts and said the Consumer Advocate has sometimes supported policies he считает increase costs, such as energy-efficiency measures and building code changes. He argued the office should focus more on energy supply and generation, including natural gas and nuclear, rather than efficiency alone. Representative Wendy Thomas testified in opposition, saying the Consumer Advocate is an important, fair, and impartial voice for ratepayers and warning that the bill was fiscally irresponsible because the incumbent could still be owed salary and benefits if the office were repealed. She also said the bill’s drafting was confusing and that the Consumer Advocate’s role is to push back on utilities on behalf of consumers. Other members raised questions about whether the DOE would simply inherit the same political appointment structure and whether the bill would meaningfully lower bills. No vote was taken in the excerpt; the chair indicated additional testimony would follow, and the Department of Energy was present to answer questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, thank you, Madam Chair, because I know that this includes operations, and I know that if we open
• Madam Chair, it is standard in our Primary Care Capital Fund since 1995.
• Primary care comes from the Department of Health.
• We're hoping to get that all done by your November meeting so that we can open the application up.
• later this year. positioned to apply when the application portal opens later this year.

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We've also opened proceedings to implement these statutes.
• Why don't we just make it an open discussion with these two panelists?
• If you have one on the primary and then they'll come in.
• And so I want to make sure that we have an open line of communication with one another...
• I want to make sure that we have an open line of communication with one another.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• support, and each of those two primary witnesses in support will be allocated two minutes.
• Primary witnesses in opposition. Good afternoon.
• We will keep that open. Thank you. Seven to zero. We will keep that open.
• opened when it was not ready.
• All right, let's open the roll and go through. discriminatory okay all right let's open the roll and

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 987, senate, all